1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of footwear, and more specifically to replaceable and interchangeable shoe heels.
2. Background Art
Some people carry an extra pair or two of shoes in their bags just so they can change shoe height or shoe style on the go. But because shoes are heavy and take up significant space, carrying them can be very inconvenient. A solution known in the art is the interchangeable, removable heel. Interchangeable, removable heels, or xe2x80x9creplaceable heels,xe2x80x9d help people avoid cluttering their bags with shoes.
For example, if a person were headed out for the evening, she may want to wear flats on the street, and then change into high heels at the soirxc3xa9e. Replaceable heels enable the person to make that change without carrying a full extra pair of shoes. The person carries just the replaceable heels, which can be connected and disconnected from a single pair of shoes. Upon arrival at the soirxc3xa9e, the person removes the flat heels and attaches the high heels, placing the flat heels lightly in her bag.
The problem with known replaceable heels is that they are of complicated design and construction that renders their implementation too expensive and burdensome. Further, some replaceable heels can be attached or removed only with portable tools. There is a need for a simple, inexpensive replaceable heel and shoe construction that is simple to manufacture and easy to use without tools.
There are also undesirable side effects of using replaceable heels. When the heel on a rigid shoe is raised, the sole may leave the ground at a point near the ball of the foot (the xe2x80x9cball areaxe2x80x9d of the sole). A shoe not designed to compensate for adjustable heels will experience wear and tear caused by compressing the inner sole and stretching the outer sole as pressure is placed on the shoe by the ball of the foot. The shoe may even collapse under the weight of the wearer. What is needed is a shoe for replaceable heels with a sole that can flex with the differing stresses of heels of various heights while keeping the ball of the foot comfortably on the ground.
Also, using replaceable heels can crumple or over-extend a shoe""s upper (the top part of a shoe above the sole). The taller the heels, the less the angle between the toes and the rest of the foot. When taller heels are used, the shoe""s upper is forced into a more compact angle, which crumples the surface and negatively affects the shoe""s appearance. When shorter heels are used, either the shoe""s upper is stretched and potentially damaged or the upper refuses to stretch and the wearer""s toes curl uncomfortably upwards. What is needed is a shoe with an upper that works in conjunction with replaceable heels to compress and extend as needed when heels are changed.
Finally, replaceable heels of the prior art have a tendency to come off during wear. Solutions to this conundrum have again involved intricate mechanisms that are expensive to manufacture. What is needed is simple mechanism for preventing the replaceable heel from coming off during wear.
The present invention provides for a shoe (100) and a replaceable heel (500) of simple design, manufacture and use. An angularly-bent metal plate (200) is attached to the base heel (120) of the shoe (100). A replaceable heel (500) with a slot (520) in its front is easily slid on or off the metal plate (200) without tools. This combined mechanism of the single bent plate (200) and the replaceable heel (500) with the simple slot (520) in its front is inexpensive to manufacture and easy to use without need for tools. The plate (200) is preferably elastic enough to be bent away from the sole (120) to attach the heel (500) and, once the heel (500) is attached, to attempt to return to its original position, thereby gripping the heel (500) against the sole (120).
In one embodiment, the sole (140) of the shoe of the present invention has one or more gaps (142, 146) to enable it to flex as heel height is changed. In one embodiment, the shoe""s upper (160) has a flexible strip (180) to curtail the strain on the upper (160) caused by changing heel heights. In one embodiment, a sliding restraint (130) at the back of the shoe (100) prevents the heel (500) from slipping off during wear.
The features and advantages described in this summary and the following detailed description are not all-inclusive, and particularly, many additional features and advantages will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art in view of the drawings, specification, and claims hereof. Moreover, it should be noted that the language used in the specification has been principally selected for readability and instructional purposes, and may not have been selected to delineate or circumscribe the inventive subject matter, resort to the claims being necessary to determine such inventive subject matter.